As this is my first post I will take a minute to introduce us all. 

My name is Bryony and I’m a widow with three children, a hound, rather too many African Land snails, a stick insect and a mother for whom I care daily. 

  
My son Connor has just turned thirteen and is already in full teenager mode. He lives for his computers and his scooter. He loves spending lots of time outdoors whether it’s exploring the woods or playing ball games on the Community Centre field. He goes to secondary school in the local town but absolutely hates attending. He is of the opinion that money grows on trees and that there are no excuses for not buying him what he wants, when he wants…

  
My daughters Eleanor and Megan are six (soon to be seven!) year old twins. They both adore animals and nature and are constantly adopting another member into our menagerie. They also love their computers but are at their happiest outside exploring the local beaches with our hound Walter. They are both imaginative and creative and love producing things whether it be a fairy village in the garden or an art installation for our house! Both attend our local primary school in the village although only Ellie is happy to be there… 

   
 

I met my husband Rob whilst training as a firefighter in Pennsylvania in the States. We were happily married in 2000 and lived in an idyllic cottage in the woods with our children and various hounds. 

  
Sadly Rob passed away nearly three years ago and life as we knew it was devastated. We moved back to the UK to the village where my mother grew up and attempted to restart our lives. As anyone with children will know, life must go on… 

I care full time for my mother who has terminal cancer. She is still very active (amazingly so) and the job is very physical as she has just moved to a more manageable property and there is much to be done inside and out. She is an incredibly talented gardener and I am her labourer. I’m an only child from a very small family, so have no back up when it comes to Mum or the children. 

What I do have though are several wonderful friends. Some old, where our friendship has stood the test of me travelling for many years and some new that I have met since returning to the village. I am lucky enough to live next door to the most special one who understands me best and is always there when a glass of wine is the only solution! She also has children so we help each other out.

  
I am training part time at our local college for my Teacher’s Assistant qualifications and spend one day a week in the girl’s school as a placement. My favourite part is Forest School and would I would love to run my own. I am chairman of our PTA and also on the committee of the village’s Community Centre which our cottage backs on to. I am also the pack leader of the local Rainbow’s unit (young Brownies from ages five to seven) which I began last year. My greatest love is the natural environment and I love to share this with the children. I’m also a very keen amateur photographer and have had a lifelong interest in horses. I grew up with them and have travelled around the world working in many different stables and disciplines. 

My dream is to unschool/homeschool my children by equipping a campervan as a mobile classroom and traveling with them to as many different countries as we can as well as exploring the British Isles so that I can immerse the children in different cultures and to learn as we go. 

This blog will be a humour filled but honest journal of our journey towards fulfilling our dreams. I hope you will enjoy sharing that journey with us.